Photo: Press
Royal Blood went from forming in Worthing to touring with Foo Fighters within two years. The logical next step? Getting their own tribute act.
Created by 'Hector The Toad' (bass and vocals) and Tommy Couch (drums) 'Loyal Blood' are set to play a number of festivals this summer.
"We met in Blackpool years back and we played together in The Pink Torpedoes and De Palma," Hector tells Gigwise. "We like 'knocking the shit out of it' musically - we're kindred spirits on that one. Tommy was a founder member of One Way System and is still with them today. Check out 'Masks' off their new album on YouTube - it's biblically good."
To mark their first year playing festivals we spoke to the band about the difficult art of 'Out Of The Black', their favourite tribute act and their hopes for the next studio album.
Watch: Loyal Blood play 'Little Monster' by Royal Blood
Gigwise: What is it about Royal Blood that makes them so special?
Hector: The fact they know how to write a great balls-out rock song. Riffy, heavy, catchy. The arrangement as well because of the way they make the two instruments work so well together and work so hard. They have that 'How do they sound like a four piece?' thing going too.
When prompted you to start a Royal Blood tribute?
It started out after I heard them on the radio - loved the sound instantly - and then found out they were a two piece. I had to find out how Mike got 'that sound'. I started playing along with the album when It came out and I realised that it was a right good laugh to play. Then I went on YouTube where there's a lot of good advice on the signal chain - and then had a look around the garage to see what I had, added a pedal and hey presto! Live, I run a Carlsboro Delta 600 Watt head into a 4 x 10 and a 15, the 'guitar' signal goes into a 100 Watt Marshall Twin Reverb 2 x 12. I started out with a Behringer US600 which at £35 was a steal but I don't think it would last on the road.
Have either of you been in a tribute band before?
Neither of us have been in a tribute band before - tribute bands get a lot of shit generally. I've always written songs in every musical project I've done - so has Tommy, but to slag off a band just for being a tribute is lame. Most tribute bands are just doing it because they love the artists they're emulating. You don't apply the same harsh approach to other cultures like fashion do you? No one at the footie gives each other grief over wearing Adidas Sambas.
You were originally called Royal Bald... but changed your name.
We're both bald as coots - clippers on zero, amps on 10! [laughs] It seemed to make sense and I thought it was funny - and therein lay the problem. Jools, the organiser of Festwich who booked us said he thought people would think we were taking the piss. Which to be fair, we were. But just because we have a laugh doesn't mean we take the performance any less seriously. We're doing this because of the way it makes us feel in the moment of the performance - it's the best buzz going.
What's the most difficult Royal Blood song to perform live?
No doubt for me: 'Out Of The Black': The 'killswitch' for the bass signal is a Boss tuner and you have to be bang on it on the chorus, plus there's a run at the end which is mind-bending for a while. All the better when you nail it though! For Tommy that'll be our 'Royal Blood' re-working of 'Moby Dick' by Led Zep. For Tommy it feels like sacrilege. It's a festival - they're going to want a drum solo. He isn't convinced.
Watch: Royal Blood's official video for 'Out Of The Black'
Which other tribute acts on the bill at Boltfest do you rate?
The Doors Alive are outstanding. But I rate them all for having the balls to get up and the nous to get on the bill. Hats off dudes. We're looking forward to checking everyone out and having a few scoops after our set.
Have Royal Blood acknowleged you?
We sent them a link to the live demo that's on YouTube but they're on tour so as far as I know they don't know we exist. We would love to know what they make of us - I bet it's a a bit weird if you think about it. One guy said to us "Blimey - that was quick!" It was just a spur of the moment thing and I sent a couple of emails off and all of a sudden its gone daft - festival gigs. Our message to Royal Blood is thanks for the inspiration and we hope you like what we're doing.
What's next for Loyal Blood?
Original stuff - the set up makes you think about songwriting in a different way, and that makes it fun. The tunes will be heavy and gnarly - "off the dots" as Nasty K used to say. We're going to do a few gigs, have a laugh and see how long we can get away with it. We'd love to do more festivals and original sets under a different name - I like 'Wrench'. We might tour it next year - I have a theory that in every city in the UK there's at least one Working Mens Club that's struggling a bit, holds 500 people and would let us take it over for the night and provide door and bar staff. We'd get the most relevant and best two local support bands in each town and make a night of it. That way we could keep the ticket price real.
What are your hopes for Royal Blood's second album?
I hope they keep it catchy but move it on sonically. I look at Mike Kerr's background from keys to bass and the thought that's gone into that sound and I figure this is a bloke who will 'push' things. In the past Mike has said in interviews that he wouldn't consider using a looper live - I don't see why not - and I also like the idea of using different pitch shifter effects and some of the more crazy Electroharmonix pedals - they're a New York firm making the best effects pedals in the world. I think there's a lot more mileage in four strings and four skins, but I can see his effects board will be the size of a ping pong table. I think as long as the crowd is up for it, it doesn't matter what you use on stage.
Find out more from Loyal Blood at loyalblood.co.uk
